Conduit coupling clamp



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Oct. 3, 1967 j T. P. FREDERICK 3,344,491.

' :CONDL-TIT COUPLING CLAMP Filed Aug. 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig; 4

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INVENTOR. 70/00 F? F radar/ck Oct. 3, 1967 Y I E FREDERICK 3,344,491

' CONDUIT COUPLING CLAMP- Filed .Aug. 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

70/00 F. Frederick United States Patent 3,344,491 CONDUIT COUPLING CLAMP Tulon P. Frederick, 5309 E. 4th Place, Tulsa, Okla. 74112 Filed Aug. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 571,607 7 Claims. (Cl. 24-249) This invention relates to a clamping device. More particularly, the invention pertains to a clamping device for securing two conduits against relative movement, at least a portion of one conduit being held inside at least a portion of the other.

The plumbing trade has for years encountered difiiculty during building construction and/or remodeling in keeping floor drains, clean-out fittings, shower drains, etc. in the proper position on the drain pipe while foundations, floors, etc. are being installed, usually by pouring and surfacing concrete. The standard practice is, following the installation of drain or soil pipes, to hold the fitting to be installed, for example a floor drain, by hand or with temporary bracing over the soil pipe in the position necessary for the top of the drain fitting to be flush with the future floor. Oakum is then tamped into the bottom of the annulus between the fitting and the pipe and molten lead poured into the annulus on top of the oakum to provide, upon solidification of the lead, an effective seal. This lead seal is usually strong enough to support the fitting in the proper position if it is not bumped or otherwise disturbed, however experience has shown that inevitably at least some of the fittings are disclocated by workmen or equipment during pouring and finishing of concrete or installation of other types of floor. It has thus been found necessary to employ extra men whose function is to continually watch the drains and reposition those which are dislocated during the fiooringwork.

The present invention provides a clamp for securing against relative movement conduits positioned one at least partially inside the other, said clamp comprising a substantially strap-like body portion having a first upturned end portion, a second substantially straight end portion and an intermediate contact portion, adjustable urging means attached to said second end portion and adapted to urge said first end against the inside wall of a first conduit positioned between said urging means and said first end and to simultaneously urge said intermediate portion against the outside wall of a second conduit having at least a portion thereof positioned inside said first conduit.

The clamp of the present invention is particularly well suited to holding fittings such as floor drains, etc. solidly in position before, during and after leading in spite of the inevitable bumping and other stresses which occur during subsequent construction work. Preferably two or more clamps, depending upon the size and weight of the fittings, are used to assure required rigidity.

The clamp of the present invention is also useful for holding in position, either temporarily or permanently, pipe-like tubes, vertical, horizontal or otherwise, in walls, ceilings, floors, etc. through which piping and the like pass. Such tubes are used where there may be movement of the piping due to expansion and contraction, and to facilitate replacement of the piping without disturbing the structure through which the piping passes. The clamps hold the tube in position while the wall, etc. is being constructed.

FIGURE 1 of the drawing depicts a preferred embodiment of the clamp of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 of the drawing is an illustration showing a plurality of clamps of the present invention (two embodiments are shown) holding a floor drain fitting in position on a drain pipe preparatory to sealing, for example by tamping lead-retaining material such as oakum into the bottom of the annulus between the fitting and the pipe and pouring molten lead into the annulus to form a fluidtight seal.

FIGURES 3 and 4 of the drawing depict other embodiments of the clamp of the present invention which are easily formed from a single piece of strap metal, drilled and tapped, and a set-screw installed.

- FIGURE 5 shows an alternate embodiment of the clamp of FIGURE 1 in which the thumb-screw is located in a different position.

FIGURE 6 depicts another embodiment having as the urging means a lever pivotally carried by the second end portion.

FIGURE 7 is an illustration of an embodiment of the clamp of the present invention wherein the urging means is a thumb-screw and the intermediate contact portion is also an adjustable thumb-screw.

FIGURE 8 is an illustration of another embodiment of the clamp of the present invention wherein the adjustable urging means is a lever pivotally carried by the second end portion by means of a hinge-pin.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, body portion 10 has afiixed thereto first end portion 11 and intermediate contact portion 12. Second end portion 13 is provided with a threaded hole in which set-screw 14 is installed. First end 11 and intermediate contact portion 12 may be attached to body portion 10 by any suitable means such as welding, bolting, etc., or the entire clamp, except the adjustable urging means 14 may be formed of one piece. The urging means 14 preferably is positioned farther from the intermediate contact portion 12 than the first end 11 so that the end 11 is urged toward the outer conduit and the intermediate portion 12 is urged toward the inner conduit upon adjusting the urging means into clamping condition by tightening it against the outer conduit,

FIGURE 2 depicts a conventional floor drain fitting 16 secured onto drain pipe 17 by two clamps of the present invention. Clamp 18 is the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1 and described above. Clamp 19 is an embodiment of the clamp of the present invention which is particularly useful where space below the fitting 16 is limited. The clamp 19 comprises first end 21, intermediate contact portion 22 and second end 23 provided with urging means 24, in this case a thumb-screw threadably carried by second end 23. The first end 21 and the intermediate contact portion 22 may be sharpened as shown for clamp 18.

FIGURE 3 depicts another embodiment of the clamping means of the present invention having first upturned end portion 26, intermediate contact portion 27, and second substantially straight end portion 28 provided with thumb-screw 29 as the urging means. The first end and intermediate contact portions may be sharpened if desired.

FIGURE 4 depicts still another embodiment of the clamp of the present invention having first upturned end portion 31, intermediate contact portion 32, and second end portion 33 provided with urging means 34, shown in the figure as a threaded thumb-screw member. The first end and the intermediate contact portion may be sharpened, if desired. Thus, the embodiments shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4 may easily be made from a single piece of strap metal, while the embodiments shown in FIGURES l and 2 are more versatile for certain particular applications.

FIGURE 5 depicts an embodiment of the clamp of this invention wherein body portion 36 has affixed thereto first end portion 37 and intermediate contact portion 38. Second end portion 39 is provided with a threaded hole in which thumb-screw 41 is installed.

FIGURE 6 depicts an embodiment of the clamp of the present invention wherein body portion 42 has affixed thereto first end portion 43 and intermediate contact portion 44, and wherein second end portion 46 is provided with a lever 47 as the adjustable urging means. The lever 47 is carried by the second end portion 46 on a hinge-pin 48. The second end portion 46 may be provided with an opening through which lever 47 passes, or lever 47 may have an opening through which the second end portion passes. Other ways of attaching the lever 47 to the second end portion will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

FIGURE 7 depicts a double-adjustment embodiment of the clamp of this invention having first upturned end portion 51, adjustable intermediate contact portion 52 shown as a thumb-screw threadably carried by body member 53, and second end portion 54 provided with adjustable thumb-screw 56 as the urging means.

FIGURE 8 depicts an embodiment of the invention similar to FIGURE 3 but having a lever as the urging means rather than the thumb-screw of FIGURE 3. This embodiment has first upturned end portion 57, intermediate contact portion 58, and second end portion 59 provided with lever means 61 as the adjustable urging means for urging the first end 57 against the inside wall of a first conduit positioned between the lever urging means 61 and the first end 57 and to simultaneously urge the intermediate portion 58 against the outside wall of a second conduit. The lever 61 is carried on the second end portion 59 by a hinge pin 62 or other suitable means.

While the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, other modifications or variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description herein without departing from the spirit of the present invention and are to be deemed within the scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A clamp for securing against relative movement conduits positioned one at least partially inside the other, said clamp comprising a substantially strap-like body portion having a first upturned end portion, a second substantially straight end portion and an intermediate contact portion, adjustable urging means carried by said second end portion and adapted to urge said first end against the inside wall of a first conduit positioned between said urging means and said first end and to simultaneously urge said intermediate portion against the outside wall of a second conduit having at least a portion thereof positioned inside said first conduit.

2. The clamp of claim 1 wherein said intermediate contact portion comprises a strap-like member having a one end portion fixed to said body portion intermediate the ends of said body portion and the other end portion of said member adapted to contact the outside wall of said second conduit in clamping relationship.

3. The clamp of claim 1 wherein said second end portion is provided with threaded means carried by said second end portion and adapted to urge said first end against the inside wall of said first conduit and said intermediate portion against the outside wall of said second conduit in clamping relationship.

4. The clamp of claim 1 wherein said clamp is made of spring steel.

5. The clamp of claim 1 wherein said intermediate contact portion is adjustable in the plane of cross-section of said clamp.

6. The clamp of claim 5 wherein said intermediate contact portion is a threaded screw threadably carried by said body portion and adapted to adjustably contact the outside wall of said second conduit.

7. The clamp of claim 1 wherein said adjustable urging means is a lever pivotally carried by said second end portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 138,515 5/1873 Myers 285406 1,319,652 10/1919 Korns. 1,944,748 1/1934 Leach 285406 X FOREIGN PATENTS 63,405 3 1913 Switzerland.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

D. GRIFFIN, Examiner. 

1. A CLAMP FOR SECURING AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT CONDUITS POSITIONED ONE AT LEAST PARTIALLY INSIDE THE OTHER, SAID CLAMP COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAP-LIKE BODY PORTION HAVING A FIRST UPTURNED END PORTION, A SECOND SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT END PORTION AND AN INTERMEDIATE CONTACT PORTION, ADJUSTABLE URGING MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SECOND END PORTION AND ADAPTED TO URGE SAID FIRST END AGAINST THE INSIDE WALL OF A FIRST CONDUIT POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID URGING MEANS AND SAID FIRST END AND TO SIMULTANEOUSLY URGE 